MINSK, 18 May (BelTA) - Cooperation between Belarusian and Russian MPs should be deeper, Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova told the media after her meeting with the delegation of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast on 18 May, BelTA has learned.
“In general, our cooperation with the Russian Federation is developing in all areas. Russia is our strategic partner. Today we have had a very good meeting with the delegation from the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. It was their initiative and I am sincerely grateful to them for that because legislators of our countries should cooperate not only within the Parliamentary Assembly, not only within the cooperation between the members of the Council of the Republic and the Federation Council, but also between MPs of all levels. This is very important. Such a meeting took place today, and I think it should become a good tradition when legislators, deputies and MPs of our regions cooperate,” Natalya Kochanova said.
According to the speaker, the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia will take place very soon. “The theme of this forum is regional cooperation in deepening integration processes. We believe that such cooperation of MPs should be deeper. The voice of the MPs should be brighter because they are the representatives of the people. We must bring the truth to the society, not only in our countries, but also to the entire world community about what is happening in relation to our countries,” she said.
According to Natalya Kochanova, Belarus and Russia are interested in cooperation in absolutely all areas. “It is economy in the first place. Today we have discussed economic issues with Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. We have a lot of joint ventures. We talked about the need for further cooperation. In any case, there is no need to set up similar industries, which are enough to provide our people, both in Russia and Belarus, with goods or food. Today we can see how urgent this issue is for many countries. If we secure our food supplies and exports, our countries will only benefit from it. It is important to continue cooperation in humanitarian areas such as education, culture and healthcare. Youth policy is very important when young people of Belarus and Russia cooperate. Interaction between young people is a guarantee of the future of our countries,” the chairperson of the Council of the Republic said.
